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The kidneys play a vital role in the regulation of various body components and processes. Among these functions, some of the most critical are the regulation of water, salts and toxic waste products. When the kidneys are damaged from various causes, the commonest being hypertension and DM, it may fail to perform this important function of regulation. The person is then said to have Renal or Kidney Failure. Renal is the medical term for kidney. As these are functions vital for life, medical science have found a way to carry out these functions without the natural kidneys. In some ways, they behave like ‘artificial kidneys’.

The use of artificial kidneys first began during the Korean War. It was called “dialysis”, from Greek meaning, “to pass across

Since then, a broader term “Renal Replacement Therapies (RRT)” is increasingly used to describe life-supporting treatments for kidney failure including

Hemodialysis

Peritoneal dialysis

Hemofiltration

Kidney transplantation

These treatments are supportive and do not cure the kidney disease.

At the Kidney Replacement Clinic, we are actively involved in the various processes involved supporting the patient through Renal Replacement Therapies.

In Hemodialysis, blood from a peripheral artery is diverted to a dialysis machine that filters and removes water, excess salts and waste products. The blood is then returned to the body through a peripheral vein.

The access to draw the blood from the artery is through a vein segment connected to the artery surgically. This is known Arterio-Venous Fistula. (AVF)

In this procedure, a suitable vein of the left or right forearm is freed and joined to an artery with fine sutures through a small wound.

The procedure is done usually under local anesthesia without the need to put the patient to sleep. No hospital stay is required. The patent will be able to go home after a few hours of observation.

Peritoneal Dialysis Access

In peritoneal dialysis, the excess water, salts and waste products in the blood is filtered using the thin membrane lining the abdominal cavity or peritoneum as a filter. These unwanted substances are then removed from the abdominal cavity to the outside through a thin tube placed within the abdominal cavity. This tube is called a Tenckhoff catheter. We perform Tenckhoff catheter insertions.

A kidney transplant is an operation in which a person whose own kidneys have failed receives a new kidney to take over the work of cleaning the blood. The new kidney or graft is joined to the recipient’s circulatory system at the lower part of the body during the surgery.

The patient has to take drugs to prevent the body from rejecting the graft. However, many patients feel that a successful kidney transplant provides a better quality of life because it allows greater freedom and often is associated with increased energy levels and a less restricted diet.

Dr. Gan is a gazetted kidney transplant surgeon with the Ministry of Health. Singapore and a member of the National Transplant Team performing kidney harvesting and transplant for the HOTA program.